Christchurch

Last night we went for a walk through an area close by that was hit badly in the September quake. They have been hit much harder this time. There are huge piles of silt everywhere. Lots of carpet has been chucked outside, which is a sure sign that their foundations are cracked and the liquefaction has come up into the house. One man told me he has two cracks right through the centre of his house. The largest is two inches wide. These houses are only a couple of years old, with big mortgages. No doubt insurance will cover the cost of rebuilding or repairs, but it must be hugely distressing for the people who live there.

The house in the photo is only two years old. I never liked the colour of the bricks when it was being built, but it now looks horrifying. The photo is a bit deceiving, but the fence is vertical, so the house is tilted sadly to the right.